Charlie und die Schokoladenfabrik (1971)

Charlie und die Schokoladenfabrik: Directed by Mel Stuart. With Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear. A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory.

“Surprisingly, Roald Dahl (author of Charlie u0026amp; The Chocolate Factory, on which this film is based) reportedly hated this big screen version of his book. Thereu0026#39;s no denying that the book is sheer genius, but in all honesty this film adaptation is exceptionally well made too. In fact, it comes high up on my list of all-time movie favourites.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Wonka Chocolate Factory is an amazing building from which some of the most scrumdiddlyumptious sweets are delivered to the worldu0026#39;s candy stores. Wonka-mania hits the world when five golden tickets are hidden inside packs of Wonka bars – for the winners will be granted a tour of the top-secret factory. Young Charlie Bucket, a poor boy whose family cottage lies within sight of Wonkau0026#39;s factory, dreams of becoming a winner – but with barely a penny to his name, does he have a chance?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat makes Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory such a success is the way it skillfully blends entertainment and a serious underlying moral. Each winning child is exposed as being rotten-to-the-core, then dealt with harshly and dismissively by Wonka. Seeing these awful brats get their come-uppance is hilarious, enjoyable and – on a serious level – quite eye-opening (itu0026#39;s as if parents in the audience are being told how to prevent their children from turning bad). Gene Wilder was simply born to play Wonka (every eccentric phrase, every bemused expression, and every mischievous glance is judged to perfection). The filmu0026#39;s set design is fabulous, with particular high-spots including the chocolate room, the egg room and the wacky corridor which gets smaller and narrower the closer you get to the end. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is simply magic – a film that everyone must see, especially parents whose kids are just becoming that bit too big for their boots!”